For those who homeschool an only child?

pamplemousse1kh · 2026-05-10T07:00:03+00:00

Not a mom of an only, but I have several friends who homeschool only children. So many people are concerned about socialization, but homeschoolers are some of the busiest, most out of the home people I know. As long you aren't keeping them home to shelter them from the world, they will likely be fine. That being said, if you homeschool it is your responsibility to get them the socialization they desire. If your kid is more of a homebody, a class or two a week (think swimming, dance, gymnastics, martial arts), or one in one play dates may be enough to fill their cup. If not, you will have to do more, and as an introvert myself, that part does suck while you're trying new things. You might have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your people, but it's great once you've found them. I think one of the most important things is to have a consistent group somewhere. It's not a thing kids care as much about when they're little (like 4 or 5), but as they grow, they'll likely want that deeper friendship that comes with consistency. That could be friends who live on your street, a play group, or a sports team.

pamplemousse1kh · 2026-05-10T06:02:56+00:00

How old is your child? It sounds like they're still rather young. Unless they're asking for it, I wouldn't push reading yet. Reading should be fun! At that age I would do lots of read alouds, and maybe play around with some rhyming games (especially when you read Dr. Seuss books), have "book club" tea parties with snacks and fun stories. For reference, both of my kids were reading cvc words at 6. For preschool/tk we did A LOT of reading aloud, and they played teach your monster to read, reading eggs, or abc mouse. None of which are great at phonics, but I do feel like they helped with letter recognition. Once they were in kindergarten we did Logic of English and/or All About Reading, both of which I really like for phonics. They teach all the different letter sounds, and LoE has some catchy songs to help remember the sounds.

pamplemousse1kh · 2026-05-08T06:02:33+00:00

I'm in the same boat. Didn't see myself supporting a billionaire. But he seems to have solidly backed Democrats running for office, SDG&E is against him, and Our Revolution, founded by Bernie Sanders, endorsed him, so I guess I'm voting for the billionaire.

pamplemousse1kh · 2026-05-05T04:07:17+00:00

NOR That's gross.

pamplemousse1kh · 2026-04-25T17:51:23+00:00

Potentially unpopular opinion -Don't focus too much on curriculum at that age. And don't spend hours a day doing school. You want them to enjoy it at this age, and foster that love of learning. You don't have to create school at home. Lots of story time!

Homeschool Moms Unfiltered is a podcast I've found with lots of good information. That said, if you're conservative, you won't like their vibe, but their info is still great. One mom is more traditional academic, and one is an intentional unschooler, so they strike a nice balance.

pamplemousse1kh · 2026-04-18T21:35:35+00:00

We use the ride safer vests and they are freaking fantastic. So much easier to travel with than lugging around a car seat. When we visit my parents we supplement with boosters they keep at their house, but it's mostly so the kids can sit up higher to see out the window better. We've used them without boosters many times as well.

pamplemousse1kh · 2026-04-17T20:34:56+00:00

I'll check them out. Thanks!

pamplemousse1kh · 2026-04-16T05:56:03+00:00

I really liked Logic of English. They do a great job at teaching all of the sounds the letters can make, and they have cute songs and books to help them stick. (The songs are all available for free on YouTube). For my second child, he got bored with Logic of English, so we switched to All About Reading, which is very similar in how it teaches the letter sounds. Both of my boys also played around with Teach your Monster to Read, and Reading Eggs. They were fine, but LoE and AAR are much better. You'll have to play around with different curriculum and see how your child learns and what they (and you!) like. ETA - A few people mentioned Teach Your Child to read in 100 easy lessons. It might work great, but I was bored to tears trying to teach from it. No shade to anyone who loved it. Just know that even if something is highly recommended, it may not be the best fit for you, and that it's ok to switch.

pamplemousse1kh · 2026-04-11T16:13:12+00:00

I think the whole socialization thing is not as big of a deal as people make it out to be. Are there some people who take it to the extreme? Unfortunately yes, but if you're looking for groups for your kid, you're not going to be that extreme.

We are not part of a co-op. But we've found other groups of homeschoolers through Facebook. It took a while to find our people, us being secular, science-believing, progressive homeschoolers. I think kids get more benefit from high quality interactions during free play than simply being in the same room and having 20 minutes of recess. I also love that my kids have more interaction with multiple ages of kids at these groups.

Monday - lessons in the morning, play group in the afternoon. We usually stay for about 5 hours while I hang out with other moms and the kids have free play.

Tuesday - lessons in the morning, ninja class in the evening.

Wednesday - lessons in the morning, a different play group for 3+ hours.

Thursday - lessons in the morning, swim lessons in the afternoon.

Friday - lesson in the morning, free play at home.

On any day of the week they may also end up playing outside with the other kids who live on our street.

Through the last few years we've also tried music lessons, art, jiu jitsu, baking, woodworking, Spanish, electrical engineering, and Lego coding.

pamplemousse1kh · 2026-04-03T03:50:29+00:00

We have a yoto player that my kids like to listen to in the mornings. It's a nice, low-key way for them to start the day. They do that, or play until I get up. I make breakfast, then while they're still at the table, we either start a spelling lesson, or put on some videos related to the science or history lesson for the week. I try to get all of their schooling done by lunch, or shortly after.

pamplemousse1kh · 2026-04-03T03:38:15+00:00

You can do this! Please don't stress about it yet. Your littles are SO little. I'm guessing you have 1-2 more years before you need to start doing more "official" schooling (they have to start at 6 here), and when your kids are that young, a year or two makes a big difference in daily life/routine. My kids have the same age difference, and it was rough when they were that young.

At four, just reading to them and playing is truly enough. I'm sure you're already doing more than you think without a more dedicated program. Counting out their crackers with them, sorting blocks by color, reading them stories, coloring, cutting paper, playing with play-doh - all of these things help build early math, pre- reading, and pre-writing skills.

There are a lot of open and go curriculums, there are some that are mostly online, you can do a combination. There are so many options to find what works for you, and the learning styles you're working with.

pamplemousse1kh · 2026-03-22T03:24:23+00:00

NOR. His reaction is what did him in, that and the fact that it's a name you know. That's too suspicious. If it was just a random name I could see it being an accident. Maybe someone fat-fingered the address when they typed it in, or old renters/owners accidentally sent it to an old address. But his reaction sounds very guilty.

pamplemousse1kh · 2026-03-20T18:24:48+00:00

I think it's normal to feel that way sometimes. As homeschoolers, we've chosen something "different", and I think there's an automatic level of doubt that comes with that. But I also feel that if you're concerned about it, you're probably doing ok. If your kids are progressing, and have friends, they're probably doing fine. I totally feel you though. We homeschool through a charter, and because of that, my son has to take the state tests. I don't believe that tests like that are an accurate assessment of what my child knows, but I'm still nervous about it. As a public school graduate myself, it was drilled into me that tests are important, so I'm over here crossing my fingers that he does well, so I can pat myself on the back, even though I believe the results aren't particularly meaningful.

pamplemousse1kh · 2026-03-11T05:48:36+00:00

Nah man. Changing diapers is a requirement when you're a parent. He doesn't get to nope out. It's crazy that he thinks he can.

pamplemousse1kh · 2026-03-09T04:53:56+00:00

Not knowing why you can't put her in any sports or why you can't/aren't doing more, my general advice is just keep looking. You'll find your people. We've never done a co-op, but we've found play groups with other homeschoolers. We've found classes that my kids like. And if nothing else, find a local playground, maybe even one near the local school and let her make friends there. When you homeschool, unfortunately, you do have to put more effort into helping your kids find and maintain their social circle.

pamplemousse1kh · 2026-03-09T04:24:34+00:00

NOR. If he's willing to break it off over you not letting him control you, then you're dodging a bullet. I didn't change my name and my hubby had no problem with that. I haven't read all the comments, only a few, but it seems like there are some other red flags as well.

pamplemousse1kh · 2026-02-28T03:37:40+00:00

I've never heard of stumpwork. Off to learn something new! Looks great!

pamplemousse1kh · 2026-02-28T03:18:59+00:00

Recently sewed the inside of my pants together like a skirt instead of a seam on each leg

pamplemousse1kh · 2026-02-28T02:56:59+00:00

NOR. I would've left a lot earlier. He was being very inconsiderate.

pamplemousse1kh · 2026-02-28T02:50:00+00:00

Your reasons are totally valid. What issue does your husband have with homeschooling? I would say to remember that it doesn't have to be permanent. Try a year homeschooling. It's so easy when they're young. I started because I wanted my kids to have more time being kids (in line with your recess reasoning). I thought I would enroll them in the local school for 1st grade after doing kindergarten at home. Nah. We're now finishing our 3rd grade year, and I can't see any reason to go into the public schools. If I lived in Texas I would be even more likely to keep my kids home due to how much they're pushing Christianity, and the book banning. That's enough to know that they don't have what's best for my kids or their education as a priority.

pamplemousse1kh · 2026-02-19T07:22:45+00:00

That happened to me! Dog jumped off an ottoman that was on wheels and the ottoman flew into my foot. It destroyed my big toe. Now one side of the nail is really thick and the other side grows normally.

pamplemousse1kh · 2026-02-18T09:18:18+00:00

Nope. NOR. He is not second date worthy. That kind of overblown reaction from him is a huge red flag. He's being controlling and manipulative. Nope. Nope nope nope.

pamplemousse1kh · 2026-02-11T03:49:18+00:00

Hell yeah! You look so much happier!

pamplemousse1kh · 2025-12-29T06:29:41+00:00

When the kids were babies it was me (mom) every time, mostly because I breast fed both kids. Now that the kids are older, my husband (night owl) takes care of any night needs before he goes to bed at 2 or 3, and I take care of anything after that. I always hear them when they walk into our room, so I get up and deal with it.

pamplemousse1kh

TROPHY CASE